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No. 6l2,572. Patented Oct. I8, I898.

J; P. ROBERTSON.

BOX FASTEN ER. (Afzplication filed June 29, 1898.

(No Model.)

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NITED STA-TES- PATENT Orson.

JAMES PERCIVAL ROBERTSON, OF SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WVALES.

BOX-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,572, dated October 18, 1898.

Application filed June 29, 1898. Serial No. 684,724. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES PERCIVAL Ron- ERTSON, a subject of the Queen of England, and a resident of Sydney, county of Cumberland, New South WVales, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Catch Mechanism for Boxes, &c., of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention has for its main object to provide a spring-catch or look mechanism for boxes and analogous articles and which shall be of such construction that the box orthe like cannot be opened without special manipulation and a knowledge of the peculiarities of construction of the mechanism; and to this main end my invention consists in the various features of construction and combinations of devices hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a box containing a catch mechanism embodying my invention, the lid of the box being open and a part of the front of the boxbeing broken away, so as to more clearly disclose the mechanism thereat. Fig. 2 is a central vertical cross-section of the box when the lid is closed. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the ballways, looking from the left-hand end and turned one-quarter around from the position in which the same is shown in the box at Fig. 1 for the purpose of better exhibiting the construction. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the push-button and its spring. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the push-button detached. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the catchplate or hook on the lid of the box, andFig. 7 is a similar view of the spring catch or hook on the body of the box.

In the several views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral of reference. a

I have illustrated my invention as embodied in a metallic match-box; but of course it may be applied to a box or receptacle to be used for other purposes.

1 designates the bottom of the box; 2, the rear side thereof, which may be corrugated 0r roughened for striking the matches thereon; 3, the front side of the box; 4:, the lefthand end 3 5, the right-hand end, and 6 the lid of the box, which is hinged thereto by means of a pintle 7, which passes through eyes 8 in the lid and eyes 9, formed at the upper edge of the rear side 2 of the box. A spring 10 is coiled around the central portion of the pintle, and its ends bear against the side Z'and the lid 6, so that the tendency of said spring is to throw the lid up and back about the hinge pin or pintle.

At the bottom of the box is secured by a rivet 11 an L-shaped spring 12, formed at its upper end with a hook 13,-which is adapted to engage with a hook 14, attached to the lid 01' cover 6 about centrally thereof and near its forward edge. When the lid is closed or pressed down, the two hooks 13 and 14 are engaged and the lid cannot be opened until the spring of the hook 13 is pressed back and away from the hook 14:. The spring-hook 13, it will be observed, is arranged in a plane back of the front side 3 of the box and cannot be directly reached therefrom nor from any other portion of the box. For the purpose of reaching and disengaging said spring I have provided'a button-head l5. and a ball finger. When the ball or roller 16 is in line with the button or finger-piece 15 and with the shank of the spring-hook 13 and the but ton or head 15 is pushed inwardly, the ball or roller will act as a means to communicate the motion to the spring-hook, and the hook portion 13 will be disengaged from the hook portion 14, and the lid of the box-will spring open; but owing to the extent of the space between the button orhead 15 and the spring 12 these parts can never be brought into contact, and hence when the ball or rolleris not in a position intermediate them the box can never be opened. The ball will rarely, if ever, come naturally in the proper position to enable the hooks to be separated by pres-- sure upon the head 15, and hence the ball must be specially manipulated to bring it into the proper relationship to these parts to enable the cover to be opened. Of course a person uninformed as to the presence of the ball and of the mode of manipulation required to bring the ball to operative position would be apt to be puzzled for a long time as to how to open the box, if, indeed, he should ever succeed in learning the trick or secret.

For the ball is provided a track or ledge 20, which is substantially parallel with the bottom of the box and arranged at the front side thereof about midway of the depth of the box. This track or ledge abuts against or starts from the left-hand end 4 of the box and extends to near the right-hand end 5 thereof, but terminates at a sufficient distance from the same to provide an opening or space (indicated at 21) for the ball to drop down and onto the bottom 1 of the box, which, beneath the ledge, is free or unobstructed from one end of the box to the other, so that the ball when down on the bottom of the box is free to roll from one side of the box to the other.

When the ball is at the bottom of the box, as just described, it is prevented from rolling rearwardly by means of an upright partition 22, which extends from one end of the box to the other.

Over the track or ledge 20 and slightly below the top edge of the front piece 3 is a horizontally-arranged top or cover 23, whichextends from end to end of the box, so as to prevent the escape of the ball. This cover or top is cut away centrally, as at 24, and is provided with a downturned lug or tongue 25, which acts as a stop for the ball. The metal oneither side of the lug or tongue is cut away so as not to interfere with the actions of the spring-hook and the spring-arm 17. The width of the opening or cut-away 24 is less than the diameter of the ball, and hence the ball cannot escape at this locality.

If desired, the parts 20, 22, 23, and 25 may all be formed out of a single piece of sheet metal, as shown at Fig. 3; but of course the parts may be made of separate pieces and soldered or otherwise secured together. \Vhen the parts are made as shown at Fig. 3, the vertical partition 22 may be formed with bottom lugs 26 to pass through slots in the bottom of the box and with end lugs 27 to pass through slots in the end pieces of the box, and the said lugs may then be headed or riveted to secure the contrivance firmly in position without the use of solder; but, if desired, solder may also be used at these localities as well as at the corners of the box. The catch 14 may be provided with a similar lug 28, which may be likewise riveted to the lid.

The detail construction and arrangement of the parts and of the box may be greatly varied from that herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention. v

I shall now explain the modus operandi of opening the lid, assuming the hooks or catches to be in engagement, as shown at Fig. 2. The ball may be and ordinarily is on the bottom of the box or in the rectangular passage-way formed by the lower portion of the front side 3, the forward portions of the end pieces 4 and 5, the vertical partition 22, and the track 20. Assuming that the ball is in this passage-way, it is brought upon the track 20 and into the position shown at Fig. 1 by giving the box one complete revolution in a righthand direction upon a horizontal axis, passing crosswise through the center of the box, or, in otherwords, the box is held in a horizontal position with the thumb bearing against the press-button and one of the fingers bearing loosely against the back of the box opposite said button, and while thus held the box is rotated in a right-hand direction one complete turn or until the lid is brought uppermost again in a substantially horizontal position, whereupon if pressure he then exerted upon the button or head the lid will spring open. In turning the box in the manner described the ball will first roll down toward the right-hand end of the box, then upon the end piece 5 of the box, then through the opening or passage-way 21, and upon the top 23, which has now been brought undermost, and then the ball will roll along said top 23 until it abuts against the stop 25, where it remains until the cut-away or opening 24 is brought uppermost, or, in other words, until the box has been righted, as at Fig. 1, and at which time the ball thenrests upon the ledge 20. The ball will be then in alinement with the push-button and the spring-hook and substantially fill the space normally existing between these devices. If now the button be pressed rearwardly, the ball will be carried thereby in the same direction and communicate the motion to the spring-hook, which is pushed back far enough to release the hook 14, whereupon the spring of the lid causes the latter to fly open. The lid may be relocked while the ball is either in the last-mentioned position or at any other place within the box.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a box, a catch for the lid thereof, a finger-piece for operating said catch, but normally disconnected therefrom, and a ball or roller adapted to be brought to a position between said catch and said finger piece so as to act as a transmitting device from said finger-piece to said catch and thus enable the box to be opened.

2. The combination of abox, a spring-catch mechanism for the lid or cover thereof, a normally-disconnected finger-piece, and a detached ball or roller arranged to be brought between the finger-piece and the catch to enable the lid to be opened.

3. The combination of a box, a spring-catch mechanism for the lid or cover thereof, a spring-pressed finger-piece normally discon nected from said catch mechanism, a ball or roller, and a passage-way therefor, whereby the ball may move into and out of operative relation to the catch mechanism and the finger-piece.

4. The combination of a box, a catch mechanism for the lid or cover thereof, a fingerpiece for operating said catch mechanism, and a loose ball or roller for controlling the opening of said catch mechanism.

5. The combination of a box, a spring-catch mechanism for its lid or cover, a spring-mounted finger-piece, and a loose ball or roller for controlling the opening of saidspring-catch mechanism.

6. The combination of a box, a spring-catch mechanism for its lid or cover, a spring-actuated finger-piece for said. mechanism, a ball or roller, a ballway or housing at the bottom of the box, a second ballway or housing above the same, and an opening between said two hallways.

7. The combination of a box, a spring-catch mechanism for the lid or cover thereof, a finger-piece for operating said catch mechanism, a ball, two hallways, one above the other with a communicating opening or cut-away, and a a stop for the ball when it rolls into alinement with the catch mechanism and the finger-piece.

S. The combination of a box, a catch device on the lid thereof, a spring-catch device on the body of the box, a pressure device for operating said catch device, a ball adapted to be brought to a position intermediate said two last-mentioned devices, and a stop for detaining said ball when it arrives at said position.

9. The combination of abox, a catch. device on the lid thereof, a spring-catch device on the body of the box, a pressure device for operatin g said catch device, a ball adapted to be brought to a position intermediate said two last-mentioned'devices, a ballway formed by the bottom of the box, the end piece 5 and the ledge 20, and a ballway formed by the end piece 5, the ledge 20 and the cover 23, the lastmentioned ballway being in open communication with the first-mentioned ballway.

Signed at Sydney, county of Cumberland, New South Wales, this 19th day of May, 1898.

JAMES PEROIVAL ROBERTSON.

Witnesses:

MANFIELD NEWTON, J AS. T. HUNTER. 

